Thursday, 12 December 2013

{Un Dimanche à Paris}

After one too many times waiting out in
the cold at Angelina, I’ve been on the lookout for a delightful Parisian café
specialising in hot chocolate. The trouble is, the method of pouring out
Angelina’s thick molten chocolate from a large jug into a delicate china cup is all part of the
joy of drinking there – so I really wanted to capture that experience
elsewhere. Luckily, other cafés in Paris have been more than happy to oblige –
and without the hour-long queues and crazed tourists.

Un Dimanche à Paris is tucked away on a
charming delightful side-street in Saint-Germain. I was drawn to the cobbled
streets, almost reminiscent of The Lanes in Brighton. Here they serve up their
specialty hot chocolate in delightfully bizarre jugs.

OK, so they don’t provide the lashings of
Chantilly cream that Angelina does, but the chocolat chaud here isn’t so rich that the
cream is needed as a bit of respite. Once you’ve enjoyed your drink in a
leisurely manner (no pressure to get people in and out here), do head into the adjoining
chocolate shop. It is an absolute feast for the senses – and that’s without
even trying any of the goodies on offer.

You can even watch the chocolatiers and pâtissiers at
work. Drooling on the windows probably not encouraged, but may be permitted - there's only one way to find out.

There’s every type of chocolate in every
form imaginable – even chocolate swirled into Fois Gras. Come on, France, surely that’s
too far?

Do let me know your favourite place for
chocolat chaud in Paris – I’ve only got one week left in the city of lights (wah!) but I’m
determined to sample the best before I go.